Saturday, September 1, 2012

The Blue Moon That Wasn't Really Blue


Last night I was excited and ready to take some photos of the blue moon.  I know I have seen a blue moon before, but I couldn't remember.  And I thought it was called a "blue" moon because the moon was actually going to be blue.  

When I went outside to take the pictures, I could see that the moon was definitely NOT blue.  It was more amber and looked like any other full moon.  Not even a blue tint.  No hint of blue at all.

At some point, I probably already knew that a blue moon was not really blue and the real reason why a blue moon was called a blue moon.  I had just forgotten.  To refresh my memory, I googled it this morning and discovered it's actually called a blue moon because it's the second full moon in the month.  The next blue moon won't be until July 15, 2015.  

It doesn't surprise me one bit that I actually thought the moon would be blue last night.  Even though I googled it and now know the real reason the moon was called a blue moon, I can almost guarantee that when the next blue moon comes around in July of 2015, I will once again look for a moon that's blue.  


 I will forget entirely the real reason a blue moon is called a blue moon.  And if I'm still blogging at that time, I will have my camera ready to capture the blue hues.


Which of course we all know will not be blue at all.


But amber.  And I will google it all over again to find out why a blue moon isn't really blue and what it all means.

Sigh....

7 comments:

  1. I had no idea it was a blue moon last night. I think the last time it happened was a few years ago, but it was just a regular moon. When I hear the song "blue moon" I think about the movie American werewolf in London. I think it was used in that film.

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    1. you really didn't miss a thing, Jim. The moon wasn't blue at all. It looked exactly like all the other full moons. I saw that movie but I don't remember the blue moon song in it either.

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  2. My husband was disappointed that it wasn't blue too. He was all "If it isn't actually blue, why would they call it that?" Well the truth is I don't know why they call it that. They just do:/ Sorry for your disappointment:(

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    1. That makes me feel better that I wasn't the only one...

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    2. I'm sure there were lots of people who thought that. Sometimes it does get sort of redish. It has something to do with the atmosphere. But, I don't really know anything about that.

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  3. I saw the almost-blue moon (which of course was not blue colored) the night before the actual blue moon. Then the next night, the actual full, blue moon, I forgot to look at it.
    Good thing there are plenty of photos to see the not-blue-colored blue moon.
    Whew! That was exhausting. I'm going back to my coffee now..

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    1. It is exhausting! Good thing it only happens every 2.7 years.

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